Words of Faith
by writerchic16
Summary: The angels are assigned to a creative writing class that includes a self-deprecating member with a profound lack of confidence, and her alcoholic next door neighbor.
1. Prologue

**Words of Faith**

"So, who wants to read next?" Professor Pittman asked, running a hand through his copious blonde hair as he looked out at his class of freshman college students. Like every session, the students of Introduction to Creative Writing were situated in a large circle, each of them almost always in their regular spot.

His response was complete silence. Well, not quite…

One of the more boisterous students, Matt Kingston, raised his hand. "I'll read again if you want, Clark."

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary. Trust me," the young professor replied, causing the rest of the class to snigger. He didn't address the use of his first name, since it was a common occurrence that was encouraged. Clark once again scanned the room, his eyes finally resting on an eighteen-year-old girl a few seats away from him. She had her head down, and everything except her manuscript was already put away in her messenger bag, anticipating the end of class in five minutes. "How about you, Anna?"

Anna Harper didn't jump, but groaned and answered, "Can I go next week?"

"Well, you passed your story out now, right? No sense in waiting," Clark pressed.

"Okay," Anna replied, then adjusted her glasses and kept her eyes on her paper as she said, "This is the beginning of the novel I'm writing for my final project – a young adult mystery." Clearing her throat, she began, "'Melinda Grant turned around just in time to catch the small, tabloid-style newspaper that came flying in her direction…'"

While Anna read, none of the students nor the professor could see the three angels standing in the corner of the room near the door. The youngest-looking one sat in an empty desk, surveying the room with eagerness in her eyes. Next to her was an auburn-haired angel who had a steadying hand on her shoulder. Completing the trio was a seemingly elderly African American angel, torn between giving the young angel an aggravated glance and keeping an eye on the classroom proceedings.

"I'm so excited!" the brunette angel, Gloria, squealed, almost jumping out of her seat. "A real college classroom! So much learning and knowledge around all the time…it's amazing what humans do with the mind God has given them."

The auburn-haired angel, Monica, nodded in agreement. "Aye, it's wonderful. And this is only one college out of the thousands out there. This particular one is a state school for student looking to get their bachelor' degree, though some majors offer master's degrees."

"What's a major?" Gloria asked.

Before Monica could answer, the third angel, Tess, cut in, "I think that's enough questions for now, don't you? I'd like to be able to give you two your assignments before class is over."

"Sorry, Tess. I can't help it . You know how much I love books and learning new information," Gloria said. Then she muttered under her breath to Monica, "But I still want to know what a major is…"

Also in whisper, Monica assured her, "I'll tell you later."

"Will both of you angel babies stop whispering long enough to hear your assignments?" Tess interrupted, growing quite exasperated by this point. The two other angels quieted, allowing Tess to begin. "See that girl who's reading now?"

Looking at the student Tess indicated, Gloria answered, "That one? The professor said her name was Anna, I think."

"She's eighteen-year-old Anna Harper, a freshman in her second semester," Tess replied. "Anna has been writing stories for years now, ever since middle school, and dreams of becoming a fiction writer. However, even after all this time, she doesn't have faith in her abilities at all. She doesn't share her work with anybody, and while her passion is writing stories, she signed up to the journalism program because of her fear that a creative writing degree won't be practical. This doubt has gotten so bad that it has spread to her overall confidence, putting her on a dangerous road that will soon lead to major depression…if her faith in herself and God isn't restored."

"So our assignment is to reassure her of God's love and that she should continue her writing career," Monica guessed.

Tess shook her head. "The first part is right, but not the second. She has to realize on her own the career path that is meant for her. The key here is restoring her confidence in her ability to _follow_ that career path."

"What are our assignments?" Gloria asked, then her eyes, and her smile, widened. "Do I get to be a student in the class? Do Monica and I both get to be students? Oh, I've never tried writing!"

"Well, that'll have to wait – neither you nor Monica are going to be students," Tess said, momentarily crushing the young angel's hopes for the assignment.

But Gloria perked up again and asked, "Then what are Monica and I doing?"

"'Monica and I' aren't doing anything," Tess answered abruptly, giving them both a look that said not to argue. "Monica is stepping in as Anna's advisor."

"Then…what am I going to do?" Gloria insisted.

As if mentally preparing herself for the protest to come, Tess let out a long, deep breath before answering, "You're working with _me_. This is Professor Pittman's second-to-last class before he leaves for a trip to Europe he's been planning for months. I'll be stepping in while he's gone, and you, Gloria, are going to be my teacher's assistant."

Gloria's face paled as she turned to Monica and begged, "Can't I work with you?"

Giving the young angel a sympathetic frown, Monica turned to Tess and pleaded, "Tess, don't you think this is a wee bit soon for her to be with anyone but her supervisor? It hasn't even been a year since she was created and…"

"I've been given orders, and you've been instructed to follow them. If the Father thinks it's time for Gloria to work with me, then it is. And that's that," Tess argued, her aggravation reaching its limit. "Ms. Wings, don't forget that while you're Gloria's supervisor, _I_ still supervise the both of you. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Tess," Monica and Gloria replied in unison. Though embarrassed, Monica still managed to ask, "Will Andrew be joining us?"

Tess sighed. "He's around here somewhere. I think his assignment is helping a junior with a drinking problem…I've heard he's almost finished helping him though, so we may be seeing angel boy by the time this assignment is through."

Business finished, the trio returned to watching the scene in front of them. Some of the students had commented on Anna's work, and the professor was wrapping up the class. Turning to Anna, Clark said, "So Anna, I think we've established by now that you've got the technical stuff down. There's no question that you can write a sentence that flows. But…you still have a lot of work to do in order to get some _life_ into those grammatically correct sentences. I get a sense that you're not pouring any emotion at all into your stories, and in the long run it hurts your work as a whole."

"I understand. Thank you," Anna whispered, stuffing her manuscript pages into her bag.

Turning to the rest of the class, Clark said, "On that note, that's it, and I'll see you next week. Last class before I head off to Europe! Bet you all can't wait 'til I get out of here, huh?"

The class laughed as they filed by the angels on their way out, the angels themselves watching with concern as Anna tried not to cry while she headed for the door.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A/N: Sorry if this isn't so good, but I wanted to get another chapter posted before I left for Aruba with my family. I'll be back by Wednesday, but probably won't be able to write that much the week after because I'll still be visiting relatives.

Thanks for the reviews and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Arriving back at her dorm room from her morning class, Anna Harper threw her bag onto her twin bed and collapsed into her desk chair. She opened her laptop computer and pressed the 'power' button, then searched around her messy desk until she found her cell phone that she'd forgotten to take with her. Waiting for her screen to load after she typed in her password, she took a long sip of the coffee she'd bought at the campus café.

Coffee almost spilled onto her lap as her roommate, Hallie Morgan, stormed into the room and slammed her textbook on her desk. Anna raised an eyebrow and glanced at her roommate over her Styrofoam cup. "Problems?"

"I hate my stupid professor!" Hallie exclaimed, lowering her head to her desk while she stood. "Hate him, hate him, hate him!"

"What'd he do?" Anna asked, checking her various email and website accounts as they spoke.

Plopping down on her own desk chair, Hallie whined, "Why does he have to be so _hot_? It's driving me crazy!"

"Oh, _that_ kind of problem," Anna said, chuckling.

Hallie massaged her forehead for a moment then said, "Yeah. I need a cigarette…then a drive…you wanna go to CVS?"

"Nah, got some stuff to finish up before Creative Writing in an hour," Anna answered.

Groaning, Hallie replied, "You're _always_ on the computer and _always_ say 'no' when I ask you to go somewhere."

"You ask me to go places a lot," Anna retorted without blinking an eye. "And, you know, sometimes I have stuff to do."

Hallie rolled her eyes as she booted up her own laptop on her desk. "Please, all you're doing is writing. I know you're always saving work until the last minute…like _now_. Why didn't you do that before?"

"It's no use putting any effort into my Creative Writing homework," Anna explained, no bitterness whatsoever in her tone. She'd decided a couple of months into the semester that nothing she ever did was good, so what was the point in trying to please either her professor or her equally harsh students? "I might as well save it until last minute. Why waste my time?"

Glancing at her with concern, Hallie pointed out, "But you still write on your own."

"Because it's my own stuff for fun that's not going to be judged by thirty students and a self-righteous professor. There's a difference," Anna argued

Hallie shook her head, her short blonde hair flying about her face. "Whatever. Did you find any more internships to apply to?"

"Yeah, but I'm nervous even if I do get something in a newspaper," Anna confessed. "You had that newspaper internship and nearly cracked under pressure…I don't handle pressure well!"

"You'll be fine…I'm going out for a cigarette. Be right back," Hallie replied, taking a cigarette out of her jacket pocket as she went into the hallway.

Frowning in disapproval at her roommate's smoking habits, Anna logged on to her school email account. She then became interested in the first email from the school administration, regarding her new temporary advisor assignment. Advisors at her school were members of the teaching faculty who assisted students with any school administration problems Her old one was on sabbatical after having a baby, and she'd been anxiously awaiting a new one to help her with fixing her internship resume.

_Hello, Anna,_

_With your regular advisor gone for the rest of the semester, I have been assigned to you. I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know that I am always available should you need help. I would like to meet with you, so if it's convenient, please email me back to make an appointment. _

_Looking forward to meeting you!_

_Monica_

Anna sat back in her chair, suddenly overcome with anxiety. Yes, she'd been putting off sending her resume because it needed work. But that was just the lie she told people, including herself. In truth, she was terrified of sending it out…and getting a bunch of rejection letters in return.

But not only that…sometimes her anxiety went into overdrive, and she actually asked herself _What would an internship really do?_ Every day she walked around with a paralyzing fear of the future, started by her recent failures in hr Creative Writing class. All her life she had been so sure she would be a fiction writer straight out of college. Journalism had always been a fall back career. As she realized she would never make it as an author, she was beginning to think that maybe she wouldn't be a good reporter, or a good…_anything_. There was a constant mental picture in her head of living alone in an apartment while working a boring nine-to-five office job for the rest of her life, and it terrified her.

Which brought her back to the reasoning that she shouldn't even attempt it if her fate was mapped out before her mind's eye.

Well, never mind that. Her family would demand explanations if she didn't get an internship this summer.

Sighing, Anna clicked the 'reply' button and…

"Hey, have you seen my lighter?" Hallie replied, walking back into the dorm and searching through her bag. "I had to swipe a light from someone else. Where is that thing…what's with you?"

Snapping out of it, Anna quickly answered, "Nothing. Just have to send a reply to my new advisor."

"About time you got one. Who is it?" Hallie questioned, going to look over Anna's shoulder at the screen. "Monica…what's her last name? Maybe I've had her as a professor before." Looking closer at the screen, Hallie raised an eyebrow as she remarked, "Huh, weird. No last name in the email address." All Beyerman College email addresses were in the format of the whole name, with the college as the domain.

Anna shrugged. "Probably a technical thing. I'll find out at the meeting."

"Yeah, probably. I'm going for a drive…good luck with your work," Hallie called, grabbing her bag and going out the door.

"Thanks," Anna called back. Thinking of a good time the next day, Anna began writing back to her new advisor.

* * *

Sitting in on Anna's class once again, Tess shuffled through the papers the current professor had given her. For the most part, they included a class list, a brief descriptions of all the work the class did so far, and condensed notes from previous lectures. None of it seemed daunting to Tess, an experienced angel who had substituted for professors more times than she could count.

Of course, that was more than she could say for her new teacher's assistant.

"Gloria, will you _please_ stop fidgeting and pay attention to me?" Tess asked, giving the enthused angel a look that said she wouldn't ask nicely again.

Keeping her eye on the students coming in the classroom, Gloria answered, "I'm sorry, but this is all so new to me. Adult students are very different from the elementary school students I've helped on a couple of assignments."

"Trust me, little angel, eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds are far from 'adults,'" Tess replied. Then she separated a pile of important class notes and the syllabus, handing it over to Gloria. "Here, read through these for the time being and, for my sanity's sake, _calm down_."

Gloria gave her an apologetic frown and took the papers, managing to focus enough to skim them. Her brief concentration was broken when a certain Irish angel walked in the classroom. "Tess, look, it's Monica!"

_What?_ Tess thought, glancing up to see Monica approach their desks, which were near the door and the professor's podium. _She's supposed to be settling in at her new office._ Once the angel was close enough, Tess narrowed her eyes. "Miss Wings, what are you doing here?"

Sitting on Tess' other side, Monica answered, "My office is in the same building, so I thought I'd stop by." Turning to Gloria, she asked, "How are you doing?"

"Great! Just looking through some notes now," Gloria answered, holding up the papers.

"That's good," Monica said, then turned back to Tess. "Oh, Andrew came by. He's still having trouble with his assignment and will be around for a while. In fact, he hinted that our assignments may cross paths."

"Well, whatever happens, it's in the Father's hands," Tess replied, scrutinizing Monica with a critical eye. To Gloria, she suggested, "Gloria, Clark just came in now. Why don't you go introduce yourself and let him know we're here? He's been informed that we're taking over the class."

"Sure," Gloria replied, putting down the papers and crossing the room to where the professor was taking off his jacket.

With the young angel gone, Tess turned around and asked, "Okay, Ms. Wings, what's your motive?"

"What are you talking about?" Monica replied, somewhat confused.

"Oh, so it's just a coincidence that you came by _right_ before Gloria started one of her only assignments without you," Tess answered in a knowing tone. "You're way too nervous to be rushing over here because of a casual conversation with Andrew. You're here to look after Gloria, aren't you?"

"Well, I can't help it, Tess!" Monica exclaimed, whispering as loud as she dared. "I wasn't doing anything, and I knew you would be here, so I didn't think it would make much of a difference if I sat in on the class with you. I understand she's working with you, but while I was sitting at my desk all I could think of was Gloria as a student…I love her, Tess, but both you and I know she won't sit here quietly and watch."

Chuckling, Tess assured her, "Baby, Gloria will be fine. I'll be here."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry I doubted you," Monica said, sighing as she got up from her seat. Before she left, she whispered, "Just…go easy on her, please? Try to have some patience with her."

Tess hesitated while Monica gave her an imploring look. Letting out a deep sigh, Tess shook her head. "Alright, Ms. Wings. Now…"

"Oh, there's Anna," Monica said, the teenager coming into the classroom. "I'm going to go introduce myself quickly before I go. See you later."

"See you, baby," Tess replied, shaking her head while she went back to her papers.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Anna shuffled into class, her messenger bag over her shoulder and her head down – a habit of hers. Because of this habit, she almost crashed into an Irish woman who was approaching her. Fortunately she stopped short of a full-on collision and snapped her head up in time. "Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Generally what happens when you keep your eyes on the ground," the woman replied, a warm smile on her face. "I'm Monica."

"Anna. Are you taking over for Clark?" Anna asked, now giving her a critical once-over after realizing the possibility.

Monica shook her head and indicated an elderly woman sitting in the corner, and another who was talking to the professor. "No, they are. They're my friends, and I decided to stop by. Anna…Anna Harper?"

Surprised, Anna answered, "Yeah…how'd you…"

"I'm your new advisor. I believe we have an appointment tomorrow," Monica explained.

The light bulb clicked in Anna's brain, in her opinion, an instant later than it should have. _Of course it would be _that_ Monica. Unpleasant coincidences make up the story of my life._ Not that Anna instantly hated the woman – quite the opposite, in fact. But Anna liked to make good first impressions when it came to faculty. Right now, she was dressed in jeans that were on their second day of wear, a t-shirt, and her dirty old sneakers since it'd been raining that morning. "Oh, yeah. I swear I won't be such a mess then," Anna joked weakly, wringing out a strand of still-damp brown hair. "At least my hair will be dry."

Chuckling, Monica assured her, "Don't worry about it. So, what would you like to talk about tomorrow?"

"Not much. I really just need a second opinion on my internship resume. I probably won't bother you much otherwise," Anna said.

"You won't be bothering me at all, I assure you. I'm your advisor now – I'm here to help you whenever you need it," Monica reminded her. Noticing the professor standing at the podium, she said, "Well, I suppose I better be going…and you should take a seat."

Nodding in agreement, Anna replied, "Yeah. Nice meeting you, Monica."

"Likewise," Monica said, giving her one last smile before leaving the room.

Sitting down in her usual seat, Anna leaned over and whispered to her friend in the class, Lizzie Thompson, "Hey. What do you think of the subs?"

"You mean the…chatty, woman over there?" Lizzie answered, nodding to the woman who'd only just now finished talking to their professor and sat back in her seat. "She's taking over the class? This should be interesting."

Frowning, Anna explained, "Well, her and that elderly woman over there. Why, what were they talking about?"

"I…I'm really not sure," Lizzie answered, an amused smile on her face. "Clark started telling her all the different genres we've done, he mentioned touching on the novel in the last few classes…and she starts going off on a rant about the history of novels starting from _Don Quixote_. For once in his life, Clark was totally dumbfounded. I wish I had a camera."

Anna couldn't help but laugh at that. However, while Lizzie told the story to some other classmates, Anna began to worry that Clark leaving wouldn't be the academic vacation she thought it would. She didn't have time to build up to a panic, though, as Clark called the group to his attention for the start of class.

"Hey, everybody," Clark greeted, opening his lesson plan at the podium. "Our last class together is finally here. But I'd appreciate it if you waited until _after_ I left the room to start up the celebration party...though sometimes I do wonder what some of you really drink in those 'coffee' cups," he joked.

After waiting for the splattering of laughter to die down, Clark continued, "Of course, you're all probably wondering what will happen to you once your beloved professor is gone. Have no fear – you will be in the capable hands of these two ladies, Tess and Gloria. It comes as no surprise that Tess has had _many_ years of teaching experience…"

"Yes, hundreds. Who do you think first suggested Mark Twain to pick up a pen?" Tess interrupted with a trace of sarcasm. Anna tried not to roll her eyes at her professor's blatant dig at the substitute professor's age while the class laughed at Tess' joke.

"…and Gloria has extensive knowledge of the history of novels…as well as, I'm sure, any other genre you'll cover," Clark continued, barely concealing a glare while Gloria just gave the class a warm smile.

"My guess is that Professor Know-It-All doesn't like being shown up," Lizzie whispered to Anna, unable to conceal her happiness.

Anna nodded in agreement, a smile on her own face as she couldn't help but reply, "Obviously. I won't miss him during the next few weeks, that's for sure."

* * *

"Jeff, you can't do this!" Andrew shouted through the locked dorm room door, his palms flat against the painted wood. _It was going so well,_ the angel lamented. _He was really coming around, and then…I don't know what happened._

For the past two weeks, Andrew was assigned to be Jeff Madison's counselor. After the sophomore was reported for showing up to a class drunk, Jeff was labeled with a drinking problem and sent to student-court mandated therapy at the school counseling center. To make matters worse, Jeff was only twenty – underage, and under threat of expulsion if he didn't obey the ruling. While Jeff resisted attempts to get to the root of the problem at first, Andrew soon discovered their main cause for concern. Like many college students, Jeff felt like he was in a constant state of limbo, never knowing what career to follow or what would happen to him once he reached graduation.

To alleviate this confusion, Jeff turned to alcohol. He claimed it was to help him push aside his anxiety for a few hours and focus on his school work. Andrew quickly determined that it was really to help Jeff forget his worries ever existed in the first place. Managing to get through some productive sessions, the angel of death had become certain that he _would_ be able to do what he'd come to do – prevent Jeff's alcoholism from costing him his life.

Because that was why Andrew had been sent to Jeff, and not a caseworker. If Jeff continued on this same path of self-destruction, there would come a night in the next two weeks or so when the student would drink himself into a stupor, attempt to drive himself home, and end up in a fatal car crash. At first, when Jeff resisted help, Andrew was worried he wouldn't be able to prevent the crash from happening. But given the positive effects of the sessions, Andrew was starting to have hope that he wouldn't have to take the young student home so soon.

Then, Jeff missed their meeting earlier that day, and Andrew had no idea why. The thought that Jeff may be working himself into that ill-fated stupor at that very moment was what propelled the angel of death to come knocking at Jeff's door. "Please, Jeff…" Andrew said, lowering his voice a notch. "Tell me what happened. Why did you miss your session?"

"I _told_ you, I don't need to go!" Jeff replied, just loud enough for his voice to be heard through the door. It was said in a calm and upbeat voice that sounded eerily false. "I've decided that I'm fine. Having a drink every now and then doesn't hurt, you know. So, thanks, but sorry I've wasted your time."

His frustration mounting, Andrew argued, "Downing half a bottle of vodka in two days is _not_ 'a drink every now and then'! You have to see what you're doing to yourself!"

"What I'm _doing_ is making myself feel better! Now, I'd appreciate it if you _leave me alone_," Jeff shouted.

Andrew's heart sank when he heard the sound of glass breaking, indicating that the student had already finished a bottle in order to be able to smash it against the door. Not knowing what else to do, the exhausted angel turned around and leaned his back against the wood, trying to prevent himself from sliding down to the tiled floor in defeat.

"Hey, what's going on? I heard a crash."

Looking to his left, Andrew saw a blonde female student poke her head into the dorm hallway, concern on her face and a pack of cigarettes in her hand. Using the last remaining bit of energy he had, Andrew stood up straight and faced her as he explained, "Jeff…is a little upset right now. I'm a concerned friend of his."

"Join the club," the blonde replied. "He's been drinking more than _me_ lately, and that's scary. I can't help but feel guilty."

Curious, Andrew asked, "Guilty? Why?"

"I just turned twenty-one and spotted him a few cases of beer," the young woman explained, remorse clear in her words. "Of course, this was before I realized that he had a problem. I just thought he wanted them for a friend's party or something."

Giving her a reassuring look, Andrew said, "It's alright, I'm sure you couldn't have known. Did you know he was only twenty?"

"Well, yeah…" the student admitted, her face turning red. "But it's college, you know? Please don't report me! I promise, I haven't provided alcohol to a minor since!"

Andrew chuckled and replied, "I promise I won't bust you. Wait…how close are you to Jeff?"

"Pretty close. My roommate and I hang with him practically every day. Why?"

"Can you do me a favor and just…talk to him for me?" Andrew asked, feeling somewhat more relieved at the unpredicted option as he spoke. "You said you realize he has a problem…just try to make him see that if you think of it. Maybe if he hears it from his friends, he'll be more willing to go to counseling and later Alcoholics Anonymous."

The young woman nodded and said, "Of course. We've tried, but I guess we'll just have to keep at it." Her gaze drifting to the cigarettes in her hand, she added, "Well, I'm going to step outside. You wouldn't happen to have a lighter on you, would you?"

"No, I don't smoke," Andrew answered.

"Good for you. It's a filthy habit," she replied, sighing. "For future reference, by the way, I'm Hallie Morgan."

"Andrew. Nice to meet you," the angel replied. Once she went off down the hall, Andrew glanced at Jeff's still-closed door one last time before reluctantly following the advice to "leave him alone"…at least for the moment. What else could he do?

* * *

In her new office, Monica continued her small mission to familiarize herself with her surroundings. Since reassigned students had been coming in and out during her office hours, she hadn't had much time to settle in. Fortunately, she did have some form of a guide. The dean of the building had given her the expected tour, then a short explanation of the expected duties as well as a computerized list of her advisees. Monica was at her desk right then, browsing the database and glancing over the files of the students she would see that day.

Her mind began to wander after about the fifth file. She should've been concentrating on her upcoming meeting with Anna in only about five minutes. But instead, thoughts of her friends kept interrupting – specifically, Gloria. Of course she trusted Tess with every fiber of her being, and she had no doubt that the elder angel would treat the younger with the greatest care. But there were times when that care, where Gloria was concerned, required large amounts of patience. And there were times that Tess' patience ran out sooner rather than later.

Consoling herself with the idea of checking in on the two other angels when her last appointment was over, Monica refocused her thoughts on where they should be focused – her latest assignment. Anna would be walking through the door soon, and she only had a loose idea of her plan of action. Monica's eventual goal was to build Anna's confidence and avoid depression, so she came up with getting the writer to submit her work to the campus literary journal. From what the angel managed to find out, the journal accepted nearly everything – ensuring that there would be little chance of the reverse effect that rejection would cause. It was Monica's hope that the small success would put Anna on the right track.

There was a rustling noise that came from the hallway. Startled, since there had been almost complete silence, Monica got up and opened her door wider. She smiled when Anna came into view, picking up a notebook that had fallen onto the tiled floor. "Hello there. You're right on time."

"Would've been here earlier if I hadn't dropped my book," Anna said, following Monica into the office. "I have my resume with me, so this shouldn't be long."

While Anna took a seat on one side of the desk, Monica sat in her chair on the other side and replied, "It can be if you want to talk about anything. My next appointment doesn't come in for another twenty minutes."

"There isn't anything else, really," Anna tried to assure her, pulling her resume out of her notebook as she spoke.

Monica leaned forward on the desk, not convinced in the least. The student had avoided eye contact with her since she walked in the room, and she seemed to have her mind on something else. "Are you sure?" Monica pressed.

Stopping her rummaging for a brief second, Anna sighed and admitted, "Well, it's not about me, but…my neighbor, Jeff…he's been drinking a lot. I'm worried about him. But my roommate told me that Jeff's counselor, Andrew, seemed really nice and actually concerned for his well-being, so we're hoping Jeff will recover soon."

Monica paused to recover from the surprise at that before she replied, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." _So that's what Andrew meant when he said our assignments would cross paths,_ Monica thought in amazement. Shaking her head, she asked, "So how are your classes going this semester?"

"Alright, I guess," Anna replied with a shrug. "Nothing unusual, midterms coming up in a month or so. I think I may drop this one class, Intro to Creative Writing. I thought it'd be easier, but I'm just not getting it, and the deadline to drop a class isn't for another week or so."

The confession caused Monica to stare at Anna with maybe more shock than she should've shown. "No, you can't!" the angel almost yelled. When Anna sat back and raised an eyebrow in response, Monica composed herself and explained, "What I mean is…surely, you're giving up too soon. I've heard that you have the potential to be a great writer. In fact, I was about to suggest that you submit your work to the school literary journal."

"Why bother with that? They'll accept almost _anybody_," Anna argued.

"But you'll be published, won't you?" Monica pointed out. "Which distinguishes you from many other writers…and certainly a sign that you should stay in a creative writing class."

Giving the argument some consideration, Anna then shook her head and replied, "No, even if I did get published…I couldn't stand the thought of a bunch of unknown readers laughing at my work."

"But what if people like it? You'll never know if you don't submit," Monica replied, trying to ignore her mounting panic. Her assignment had barely _started_, and already it seemed as if she were thrown in the middle of an uphill battle.

"But…" Anna trailed off, ready to give a negative answer. However, she seemed to change her mind at the advisor's strange yet honestly disappointed look on her face. "…I guess I could think about it."

Holding back a sigh of relief, Monica took the resume from where Anna had placed it on her desk and said, "That's wonderful. Now, let's get to work on your resume."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Sitting in a student desk facing the classroom, Gloria tried to calm her rising excitement. Since the class met three days a week, it was two days since their observation of Clark. Now, the professor was well on his way to Europe.

And she was on her own with Tess.

_Please, Father, let me get through this class without messing up,_ Gloria prayed silently. While next to her Tess stood at the podium going over her lesson plan, Gloria sat there and thought about yesterday. After her advisor meeting with Anna, Monica met with the two other angels at the coffee place on campus to catch up. Through several lattes, Monica managed to give them a loose outline of the session _before_ the caffeine kicked in. Tess didn't even chide her for it because of how anxious Monica was about the assignment.

But on the bright side, Monica's assignment seemed to shift right from negative to positive. Though both of the other angels were startled by the thought of Anna already thinking of dropping the class, Monica assured them that she talked Anna out of it…hopefully. Sure enough, Gloria and Tess noticed that Anna seemed to walk into class that afternoon with a certain bounce to her step that hadn't been there on Wednesday.

Now, the two angels didn't have any problem with focusing on their assignment. While they were there to help Anna, their real assignment was the entire class. Their previous professor had really done a number on them with his "tough love" policy. Though some put up an exaggerated feeling of bravado, the "group critiques" reduced once confident writers down to those who got defensive at the slightest critique of their work. Group critiques had grown to be nothing short of insult contests, with remarks directed at both the work and the student him or herself. Gloria and Tess were sent to prevent the group of about fifteen students from becoming forever defensive and critical about writing or possibly life in general. This assignment was all about teaching how to listen to critiques with a patient yet judgmental ear…and give a review with respect to the author.

"Can we start the class now?" Gloria asked Tess, noting that almost all of the students had gathered and, as they were trained, moved the desks into a circle. She almost winced when Tess let out a deep sigh. It wasn't the first time Gloria had posed the question in the past five minutes.

Checking her watch, Tess gave a reluctant nod. "Yes, little angel. Now, if I give you a Look like this…" Tess paused, demonstrating a face that had its eyes narrowed and mouth turned into a frown. "It means to stop talking. You're free to interject, but you tend to get carried away. We have to face these students for the next week or so…and you've never been particularly good about concealing your identity."

"I know, Tess. I promise, I'll try real hard," Gloria replied. She knew that sometimes her naiveté caused people to wonder if she was born yesterday. Which actually wasn't far from the truth...but no one else could know that.

Giving the angel a small smile, Tess turned to the class and cleared her throat. Under her commanding presence, the class quieted and sat forward in an instant. "Good afternoon, everyone. For those who weren't here last class, I'm your substitute, Tess. This is Gloria, my teacher's assistant."

"Hi!" Gloria said once Tess indicated her to say something. "I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone." She would've gone on about how excited she was to be on a college campus, but wisely decided against such ramblings and let Tess continue.

Tess gave her a slight nod of approval before continuing, "Now, I believe that much of the class still has to present their short story today before we move on to another genre next meeting. So, just for this class…let's put the desks the usual way. While that may have broken the ice at first, from watching on Wednesday I have to say that I think the ice has been broken enough."

Minutes later the desks were arranged in loose rows and columns. A boy with spiked blonde hair raised his hand. Without being picked on, he asked, "Did Clark tell you to do that?"

"You never mind what Clark did or did not tell me," Tess replied in a sickeningly sweet tone, wiping the smirk right off the student's face.

Noting the sudden tension in the room, Gloria asked, "So, who wants to go first?"

Silence. No one made any move to raise a hand. The blonde-haired boy took a sip of his coffee; Anna stared at her desktop; Lizzie filed her nails. Deciding to try a soft approach first, Gloria pressed, "Oh, come on, it's got to be easier now that you all don't have to look at each other. And I promise that neither Tess nor I will ever insult anything."

"Yeah, come on, you pussies," the blonde-haired boy spoke up again in a mocking tone. "They don't bite." Under her breath, he muttered, "Tess' dentures would probably fall out if she tried."

Getting angry for maybe one of the first times in her life, Gloria glared at him and snapped, "Well, that's awfully judgmental, isn't it? I'll have you know that Tess is just as agile as _anyone_ half her age, human or –"

"Gloria!" Tess interrupted, giving her the aforementioned Look. Luckily, she'd cut in before anyone heard the last two words. "While I appreciate the back up, I can deal with Mr. Rude-and-Crude over here myself. What's your name, young man?"

The class let out a group "oooo" as the student turned a few shades whiter. Sitting up straight, he replied, "M-Matt. Matt Kingston."

"Okay, Mr. Kingston, let me lay down a few rules for you," Tess began. Gloria sunk low in her seat, the tone reminding her of several instances in which the supervisor angel had used the same tone with her. _Matt's in for it now. I almost feel bad for him._ While Matt attempted to pull off a defiant face, Tess continued, "Number one – Gloria and I are the professors now. Not Clark. Number two – this is a classroom. You treat each us as well as other students with respect. And neither Gloria nor I will have any trouble reminding you of that rule. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Tess," Matt grumbled, his shoulders slumped.

Noting that Tess was going to need a moment to calm down, Gloria interrupted, "But that doesn't mean you all shouldn't express your opinion or ask questions. It just means that you all can do it in a way that doesn't offend anyone else."

Once again fifteen students stared back at her with blank, clueless faces.

"Oh boy," Gloria said under breath. She and Tess shared a look that sent the exact same message – they both had a lot of work to do.

* * *

After class, Anna relayed her odd class to her roommate in her dorm. Pacing the space between the twin beds, she explained, "…and we ended the class with Tess giving us yet _another_ lecture about critiquing, and that was after Gloria claimed she had no idea what Ben meant when a college student character in his story 'rolled a joint.' It's like Gloria has never been around college students before, and Tess has been teaching for decades. The whole thing is just…weird. And, I gotta admit, a little entertaining. More so than Mr. Clark 'I think I'm so funny' Pittman was."

"It does sound very odd," Hallie agreed, her back against her wall. She was sitting in her desk chair with her legs pulled up to her chest. "Do you know anything about them? Where they taught previously, maybe?"

Anna shook her head. "Nope, nothing. I don't think they even gave us their last names."

A thoughtful look on her face, Hallie said, "It is a little like they came out of nowhere. I had a sub for my class last semester, and it was another professor from the department. Well, you're a journalist – do whatever it is you do and look 'em up."

"Maybe I will…" Anna replied, leaning on her bed. Then she shrugged. "It's not like it matters."

Hallie frowned and asked, "Why not? What's going on?"

"I think I want to drop the class. Even with Tess and Gloria…it's too hard to face my classmates every time," Anna confessed, her head down.

"What?" Hallie exclaimed. "You're an awesome writer, you can't!"

Anna let out a short laugh. "You sound like Monica."

"Who?"

"My advisor, remember?" Anna said. "Yeah, she got all disappointed when I mentioned it…but whatever, I doubt she really cares that much. Besides, there's really no point in finishing off the class when I'm not going to get a good final grade."

"You don't know that. And you could improve your writing even more if you stayed," Hallie pointed out.

Sighing, Anna argued, "You don't _get_ it. I'm not a good writer; I'll never _be_ a good writer. Getting rejected in class every time just proves it more. I mean, when Monica suggested I submit my work to the school journal, I honestly considered it. But then I had class today and listened as much better writers than me read their stuff…how can I think of making my work public when there are so many better writers?"

"But there _aren't_. Being in that class made you forget that not everyone has a way with words. Hell, I can't even write a decent thank-you note," Hallie answered, her frown conveying frustration. "You've…you've got to stop comparing yourself to everyone in that class and thinking their opinions are fact."

"So you're saying I _should_ drop the class," Anna retorted in triumph.

Realizing what she was saying, Hallie shook her head. "N-no, no, that's _not_ what I meant. I _meant_ that you should be able to stand on your own two feet when the entire class comes rushing at you. And I do think the first step…would definitely be to submit to the school literary journal….wait…"

"Wait what?"

"We _have _a school literary journal?"

"Yes, we do," Anna laughed. "But there's no _way_ I'm submitting. Even if I do stay in the class."

Pouting, Hallie warned, "If you don't, I'll submit that story you let me read."

"How are you going to submit it if you didn't even know the journal existed until now?" Anna pointed out with a smirk, causing Hallie to frown in thought.

Recovering from her momentary setback, Hallie said, "Well, I'll find out."

"I'll take my chances," Anna replied. "Besides, I can't deal with that now. I need to focus on some of my other classes. Recent grades include C's and a humiliating D."

At that, Hallie gaped at her. "_What_? Last semester you freaked out if you got anything below B+. You really are screwed up this semester."

"Thanks," Anna muttered. Figuring she should try and force herself to get work done, she turned to go to her desk…just as the door opened.

"Hey ladies," Jeff greeted, leaning on their doorway. "You really should keep this door locked. You never know what kind of creeps could wander in."

Hallie grinned at him. "Yeah, you never know. Speaking of which, next time you wander in, can you knock?"

"What's up, Jeff? Drinking again, I see," Anna said, noting with distaste the half-empty beer in his hand. "I hope you realize that Jasmine could walk by any moment and write you up." Jasmine was the hall RA, or resident assistant, charged with keeping order in hall.

Jeff shrugged. "I caught her smoking something other than cigarettes at a party over the weekend. She owes me one." Pulling another beer out from under his arm, he held it out. "Either of you ladies care to drink with me? It's never fun to drink alone."

"Then don't _do_ it," Anna snapped.

"Yeah, Jeff, you really should lay off for a while and _go to your counselor meetings_," Hallie pressed. "I saw Andrew outside your door a couple of days ago. I think the poor guy is actually concerned about you – give him a break and stay sober, ok?"

Giving another nonchalant shrug, Jeff answered, "Look, I got too much on my mind to worry about counselor meetings." He hesitated, glanced at the extra beer, and set it on Anna's dresser. "I think I'm feeling another few rounds of vodka shots. See you two later."

"Jeff! Don't you dare!" Hallie shouted.

While she ran into the hallway, Anna eyed the still-cold beer, for once very tempted. She wasn't much of a drinker, but the one or two times she _did_ get drunk, she felt a lot better than she did at the moment. _Well, one beer can't hurt,_ Anna thought. Hallie and Jeff's arguing resounding through the hall, Anna downed the beer as she sat down at her desk to get some homework started before she had to turn it in the next day.

* * *

"Hey, Monica, hey Tess," Andrew said, stopping in the doorway of Monica's office. Since he hadn't figured out yet just how to talk to Jeff again, he thought he'd do some behind the scenes work. It wasn't as if he were bored – he _was_ filling in as a school counselor, after all. At least a dozen appointments had been lined up for him that day. But he couldn't forget that he was on assignment.

The two angels had been talking, with Monica at her desk and Tess in the seat across from her. "Hello, angel boy," Tess greeted with a smile. "Haven't seen you around lately. How's your assignment going?"

"I'm really not sure," Andrew answered. On one hand, he'd recruited new help through Hallie and her roommate. On the other…Jeff still wasn't replying to his emails about rescheduling the missed appointment. "Yours?"

Monica shrugged. "Same. I think I got through to Anna, but I can't be too sure. Something tells me that she's very good at hiding her feelings. When she came in…"

"Wait, I'm sorry, Anna? That name sounds familiar; I think Jeff may have mentioned it," Andrew interrupted. Of course, it could've been another Anna, but he was getting the same feeling as when he told Monica that he thought the two assignments may cross paths. But then, he'd only been basing his conclusion on intuition and the fact that all the angels were assigned to students at the same college.

Smiling, Monica explained, "Yes, Anna. Anna Harper. She mentions that she lives next door to Jeff…and is very concerned about him. But she's feeling more optimistic since she heard from her roommate, and I quote, 'Jeff's counselor, Andrew, seemed really nice and actually concerned for his well-being.'

Andrew couldn't help but turn red at the compliment as he replied, "Well, from what I've heard, Jeff's gotten more grief than sympathy from whoever he tells about his drinking problem. So much that he hasn't even told his parents. Which is actually why I'm here."

"What do you mean? You need Monica's help with something?" Tess asked, curious.

Nodding in response, Andrew answered, "Yes. It turns out that Monica here is Jeff's new advisor as well." At Monica's surprised look, he added, "But from what I'm getting from the Father, you're not taking him on as an assignment too. You see, the school Dean of Disciplinary Action has been putting pressure on Jeff to 'take the semester off' in order to get himself together. But Jeff's petrified of dropping the semester because as far as his parents know, everything is fine. So, in order to give him time to tell them – and possibly letting Jeff stay in school – I'm gathering all of his records. My theory is if I can prove that he was a good student until the drinking started, maybe I can convince the Dean to ease up."

"No problem, Andrew. I'll go through his record now," Monica assured him, already typing on the computer's keyboard in front of her.

Andrew let out a sigh, happy to be relieved of at least one aspect of his assignment. Just realizing something, he asked, "Where's Gloria?"

"It's her turn for office hours," Tess answered, with no small amount of relief in her voice. "I love that angel, but if she looses herself in excitement one more time, Father so help me I will…"

Knowing that Tess would never do anything to Gloria, Andrew and Monica shared brief, amused glance before he replied, "Don't worry. It'll get better. Look how far you and Monica have come."

"Miss Wings and Gloria are two entirely different angels," Tess muttered.

Monica chuckled. "I know it's been hard on you, Tess. But Gloria _will_ learn. You just have to have patience. Like you did with me."

"You'll have to remind me of that every once in a while," Tess replied.

Laughing again, Monica clicked her computer mouse a few times, then looked up at Andrew. "Good news, Andrew. Jeff's records indicate that he's ahead in credits, his GPA is 3.2, and he co-founded the school billiards club. You should have no trouble at all. I'll forward this to your school email."

"Thank you so much, Monica, that really helps. Tess, I'll see you around," Andrew said, turning away from the door and almost running down the hall. He had two emails to send. One to Jeff; the other to the Dean of Disciplinary Action.


	5. Chapter 4

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4

The next day, Monica once again sat in her office at her desk. Ever since her assignment started, she was having trouble finding the opportunity to leave it and spend time with Anna. The college wasn't too large, but she had enough students under her care who were keeping her busy. For instance, just that day she had to file ten requests to drop a class, help three students work out problems with their professors, and guide five students on how to go about applying for internships during the coming summer. While she could watch over Anna in angel form after she closed down the office, she couldn't think of a way to go to her during the day. So she went to plan B.

"Hello, Anna. Good to see you again," Monica greeted

The young woman walked into the office with her messenger bag over her shoulder. Approaching the desk, but not sitting down, Anna replied, "Hi, Monica. You said in your email that you wanted to help me apply to internships. And, while I appreciate the advice on my resume…I think I'm okay on my own."

"Then why did you come to see me? You could have easily said that in a reply email," Monica pointed out, hoping the question would lead to a meaningful answer.

Instead, Anna shrugged and answered, "I had class in this building anyway. It was no trouble for me to stop by for a minute."

_So much for plan B…_Monica thought. Her hope had been that emailing Anna about internships would lead to meetings where the two could talk. _Well, she hasn't left yet,_ Monica reminded herself. _There's still a chance to convince her otherwise._ "But…what about sending in your work to the school literary journal? You said you'd consider it."

"Yeah, I'm not gonna do that," Anna said, offering a small frown of remorse. "I know you wanted me to, but…I'm just not ready for it. Maybe by the end of the semester."

Monica tried not to let out her disappointed sigh. It appeared that her suspicions that Anna harbored her true feelings, which she' told Andrew, were correct. Anna was trying to give off the sense that she was fine, but her lack of self-confidence and fear of disappointing others were painfully obvious just in her voice alone. _No doubt she thinks she gives off a calm, cool façade, _Monica thought, reviewing the few times they'd met. One of the keys to this assignment, she suspected, would be breaking through that imagined wall. Clearing her throat, she replied, "That's a shame. But I suppose I can't make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Sorry about that," Anna said, her eyes lowered. "So, uh, I guess I'll be going…"

Indicating the chair in front of her, Monica offered, "Why don't you have a seat? I have a few minutes until my next appointment comes in. Do you have to be anywhere?"

"Um, well…I-I…oh, sure, why not," Anna answered, lowering herself into the cushioned chair. She kept her shoulder bag on, her legs crossed, and her hands on her lap. Her back almost didn't touch the supporting cushion against the chair's back.

Noticing this, Monica asked, "You seem tense. Is everything alright?"

Anna's face turned bright red as she attempted to lean back against the supportive cushion. "Yeah. I just…um…didn't meet with my usual advisor much, so two appointments in one week is a little weird for me."

_Or you aren't comfortable around faculty,_ Monica thought, remembering what Tess had told her from her experience in class. No doubt the lie was used so that Monica wouldn't be offended. "Oh, well, at least now I can get to know you a little better. With all these dropped class requests and other files, it's nice to know at least one face behind a name."

"So you aren't a professor here, if you don't know anyone," Anna asked, in a voice that was more like a statement than a question. "You're friends with Tess and Gloria, right? I don't think they said they were professors here either."

Monica shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. This is only a temporary job for me. As well as for Tess and Gloria." She had to keep herself from raising an eyebrow. Anna's remark had seemed critical rather than simply for the sake of conversation. Dismissing it, Monica said, "Now, why don't you tell me some of the internships you're thinking of applying to?"

"Uh…well, I…I-I haven't really searched for any yet. I was waiting until I got my resume fixed, and that was only two days ago," Anna answered, her eyes glued to her hands in her lap.

"That's perfectly alright," Monica assured her. She was beginning to notice that, like many humans, Anna avoided eye contact – and lowered her voice – when she wasn't telling the full truth. "You still have some time until many deadlines. Since you're a journalism major, I'm guessing that you'll be wanting to apply to newspapers."

Relieved that she hadn't been criticized, Anna became a fraction more comfortable in her seat as she replied, "Yeah. I was going to apply to the _Times_ or _Newsday_."

"That's…that's good, but I would take advantage of being near a fairly large city and having access to many other newspapers. There's nothing wrong with working your way up…" Monica paused, realizing her remark could be taken as an insult. "I-I mean, you should still apply to those papers, but maybe apply to some local ones just in case."

Nodding in agreement, Anna said, "I totally understand. The _Times_ and _Newsday_ were only examples – I doubt I'd land an internship at either one of _those_ huge newspapers."

"But it couldn't hurt to apply anyway. Who knows; you may get it," Monica said. "But here's an idea. There are a few websites that allow you to search for internships. I'll give you them, and then I'll search through them also. Afterwards, we can meet …Monday? And compare notes. Maybe get some application materials together."

Anna had her mouth open, about to argue. But then she changed her mind, clearly realizing there was no logical reason to decline the offer. "Okay. As long as it's not too much trouble. I know you must be busy…"

"It's no trouble at all. How about after your creative writing class?" Monica asked, and when Anna gave a sign of agreement as she got up to leave, smiled. "Great! See you Monday."

* * *

Giving Hallie a sidelong glance, Andrew asked, "You're sure he's in there, right?"

"Yeah. Definitely. I saw him go in after his class this morning," Hallie answered, staring at Jeff's closed door. "Of course, there's always the chance he could've left while I was in my room."

Andrew sighed. He'd decided to try to get Jeff's attention once again after another missed appointment, but there'd been no response for the fifteen minutes that the angel had been there. Hallie came out about five minutes ago to help, but so far Jeff hadn't made a sound. "Well," Andrew said, "I guess I could come back later."

"Nah, let me try one more time. This always works," Hallie assured him. As Andrew stepped to the side, Hallie pounded on the door and shouted, "Yo, Jeff! Get your lazy butt out here now!" Realizing that Andrew had winced, she offered him a weak smile. "Sorry. Probably should've warned you."

"Don't worry about it," Andrew assured her, though he did rub his ear as soon as she turned around.

Much to their relief, the door opened a crack. The width so small that only half his body was revealed, Jeff glared at Hallie with the one eye he allowed them to see. "_You_. Don't you have anything better to do than wake up sleeping neighbors?"

"At the moment? No, not really," Hallie snapped. "It's the middle of the freaking day, Jeff. Why are you sleeping?

"Can't a guy take a nap without being subjected to the third degree?" Jeff muttered.

Crossing her arms at her stomach, Hallie retorted, "When he has a drinking problem…no, he can't. Come on, let me smell it."

His glare deepening, Jeff said, "No."

"Come on…"

"No!"

"Let me smell it before I stick my nose down your throat myself!"

Before Andrew could speculate about the meaning of the argument any further, Jeff opened his mouth and blew out a small breath. The stench of alcohol wafted up both observers' nostrils, making Andrew cough.

"Wow, hangover much?" Hallie said, coughing as she waved the air in front of them. "I hope you're ashamed of yourself."

"Well, I'm not. You're not my mother – I don't have to ask your permission to take a drink or two," Jeff argued, closing his mouth tight.

Trying not to sound judgmental, Andrew said, "In all honesty, it smells like a little more than that."

Jeff whirled around to face him, as if just realizing the angel was there. "What are you doing here?"

"This guy is doing a lot for you, Jeff. You could be a little nicer to him," Hallie said. She was growing more and more frustrated, determined to force Jeff to show _some_ remorse for his actions.

Glancing at Andrew, Jeff asked, "What are you doing for me? I'm not going to my meetings."

"Didn't you get my email?" Andrew asked, disappointed. One of the reasons he'd come to Jeff's dorm this time was because he'd hoped the email about avoiding expulsion would break the ice.

Shaking his head, Jeff explained, "I don't check my email often."

Hallie sighed. Looking him directly in the eye, she said, "You know how you're on the verge of expulsion? Andrew's been rounding up everything good you've done in this school…which I don't imagine can be much…to make a case to bring to the Dean of Disciplinary Action. Dude, he's looking out for you. Don't drive away one of the few people on this campus you've got left."

"I didn't ask him to do any of that," Jeff argued. But his harsh tone had softened a considerable level, and he now regarded both of them with less hostility than a moment before.

Trying not to look frustrated, Andrew said, "Look, Jeff, I didn't come here asking for your thanks. I just wanted to ask you to please come to a meeting. You don't even have to continue after that; all I want to know is why you stopped attending."

"I'll give you one better," Hallie added. "You give Andrew here the brush off one more time, you can say good-bye to hanging out with me and Anna. For good."

Andrew glanced at Hallie, surprised. "Hallie, you don't need to do that…"

"Fine, I'll do it," Jeff interrupted. His tone was more resigned than anything else, as if he'd say whatever they wanted if it got them to leave. "Now do me a favor and go away so I can get some sleep."

"Gladly," Hallie replied, giving him a fake smile and allowing him to slam the door. Turning to Andrew, she added, "You're welcome. If you'll excuse me, Andrew, I need a smoke."

"Thank you," Andrew said, shaking his head while the blonde walked off down the hall.

* * *

"Now that we've finally finished all your short stories," Tess said in class on that Friday, "Let's talk about what your assignment is for next week."

There was some grumbling as the class took out writing utensils and prepared to take notes. No doubt they were exhausted after a long afternoon of re-learning how to critique. They were supposed to be done with short stories last class, but with Tess' lectures and the occasional fight between Matt and Gloria, the class was a little behind schedule. Not that anyone particularly minded, though. It was better than their previous professor's style of rambling on about either his own experiences in writing or giving an extra long and harsh review of someone else's. At least they were learning something.

That was what Tess was hearing, anyway. She was getting to know a few students, and they often told her they never had a professor quite like her before. They also expressed their thanks – before, classes were getting too intense and unpleasant. About half were going to drop it come next week had the class stayed on course.

Once everyone had a pen in hand, Tess began, "For our next genre, we're going to take a quick look at the personal journal." She closed her eyes for a brief second and sighed when Matt raised his hand. It was done mockingly, no doubt, after Gloria had asked him to raise his hand when he wanted to speak up in class. "Yes, Matt?"

"On the syllabus, it says we're supposed to be doing plays next," Matt spoke up, his mouth forming a sardonic grin.

Before either professor or assistant could reply, another student, Ben Campbell, glared at Matt and snapped, "Dude, will you _shut up_?"

"You shut up," Matt retorted in a child-like manner.

"No, _you_ shut up."

"You shut up!"

"Would either of you like to take that outside, because I have a class to teach," Tess interrupted, causing both boys to sit forward in their chairs and quiet down.

Gloria chose that moment to say, "Ben, while you were just trying to keep the peace, it's not nice to tell anyone to 'shut up.'"

"I know. Sorry, Gloria," Ben replied, still glaring at Matt out of the corner of his eye.

Trying to maintain some dignity, Matt said, "Yeah, Ben, way to be 'not nice.'"

"At least I'm not the one with the arguing skills of a five-year-old," Ben sulked, crossing his arms on his desk.

Tess rubbed her forehead with one hand, tapping her fingers on the podium with the other. While the majority of the students in the classroom were actually well-behaved, there were the few who liked to make trouble, with Matt as their ring leader. Ordinarily, she could take care of trouble-makers no problem, whether in angel or human form. But having Gloria there…with her naiveté, it was hard for Gloria to get any kind of respect from the class. Just about fed up with the whole group for the day, Tess asked, "Do you want me to give the 'respect in the class room' speech again?"

"No, Tess," the entire group was quick to reply.

"I thought so," Tess said. Acting as if the entire incident never happened, Tess continued from where she left off. "To prepare for the lecture on Monday, I want all of you to start a journal. But not the typical list of what you did that day. In order to help you all put more emotion in your work, you're going to write whatever you happen to feel that day and why. Including today, there should be three entries by Monday's class. Given the nature of the assignment, I'll make reading aloud voluntary."

The majority of the class let out a sigh of relief.

"But you get extra credit on the assignment for reading aloud," Tess added. "And I will be reading every entry. So if you do anything over the weekend that could get you expelled or arrested, I'd rather not read about it." As the class chuckled, she said, "Well, that's about it for today. Have a good weekend."

While Tess talked to some of the students who were on their way out, she overheard Anna go up to Gloria. "Hey, Gloria," Anna greeted.

"Hi, Anna!" Gloria replied, already standing up as she prepared to leave. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I, ah…I was wondering," Anna said with her hands clutching her messenger bag strap. "I'm not really good with journals. Can we write journal entries for a fictional character we've created?"

Gloria hesitated, then answered, "I…I'm not sure. Tess?"

Turning to them as the student she'd been talking to left, Tess said, "I'm sorry, baby, but the whole point of the assignment is to let out whatever emotions you've got bottled up inside. Writing about a fictional character is not the same as writing about yourself, is it?"

"No, I guess not. Thanks anyway," Anna replied, a disappointed frown on her face as she went out the door.

Once the classroom was almost empty, Gloria asked, "Tess, why do you think Anna isn't 'good' with journals, when she writes stories perfectly fine?"

"I don't think this has anything to do with technical ability, little angel," Tess explained. "Anna's used to being able to hide behind the characters she writes about, and even showing that to anyone scares her. In this assignment, there's nowhere to hide."


End file.
